Behind the Wheel

Where Motoring Starts...

It’s Ute o’clock this week on Behind the Wheel.
We’ll take you live to the launch of some exciting new variants of the Toyota Hilux.
We’ll hear how you can become 007 James Bond...well almost!
James Scimshaw from Jaguar will bring us details on Jaguar's new Austrian lair.
He also has details on the fastest ever F-Pace - Jaguar have shoehorned a massive V8 under the bonnet of one of the prettiest SUV’s on the market - the Jaguar F-Pace SVR.
Lexus have revealed their most luxurious car ever - the all-new Lexus LS.
Nick Raman has all the details on what to expect from the flagship saloon.
Simon Lai has been driving a car that’s way too big for him - the Nissan Patrol. We’ll find out if he was able to see over the steering wheel.
The always effervescent Rachel Franco is back with some insights into Jay Leno - or more specifically, his garage and whether she might ditch Pete in favour of the big chinned comedian.
Don't miss a minute of this week's Behind the Wheel.

Peter Hitchener has been sequestered by his bosses at Channel Nine to make some news promos, so as we speak, he's doing his best Ron Burgundy impersonations.

In the meantime, we thought it was a great opportunity to have a look back at the best bits of 2018 so far.

You'll get a lap around the block in one of the best cars to come to this country in a long time - the Kia Stinger.

Then, it'll be time to jump in to the award winning technical tour de force that is the Volvo XC60.

The guys got a huge surprise after spending a week with a Haval H9. This full size, proper 4WD is high on standard equipment, high on build quality and jaw droopingly low on price. You'll get a crack around the block in it too.

We'll look back on the launch of the BMW X2 - think of it as the coupe version of the very capable X1. Lenore Fletcher has all the details.

Lots to sink your teeth in to, including some stupidity and a few laughs, in this special edition of Behind the Wheel.

It’s Commodore o’clock on Behind the Wheel this week!
Big thanks to Joel Helmes who admirably filled in for the boys last week. This week, Pete and Chris drill down on what’s good and what’s not in the Holden Commodore.
You’ll even get a drive round the block in the AWD V6 version of the Calais.
Our mates at Haval have been spending up big. They’ve just opened an enormous new factory, and with electrification on the horizon for the world’s biggest SUV maker, there’s lots to catch up on. Andrew Ellis from Haval joins us with all the details.
We also chat to Elisabeth Barry from Finder.com.au. They’ve compiled some fascinating data on the most dangerous things Australian drivers have done behind the wheel, and also the top hotspots for car theft around the country. Tune in to see if you're at risk.
Simon Lai has been driving around Sydney like his hair is on fire - in the awesome new Honda Civic Type R. Hopefully we’ll be able to extract him from the driver’s seat for a chat.
The always effervescent Rachel Franco is back with tips on how to get free money out of the NSW State Govt. What could be better - we just hope it's legal!
Don’t miss a minute of it - it’s a huge edition of Behind the Wheel.

There's a whole lot going on this week on the Behind the Wheel Car Podcast with Joel Helmes filling in for Chris Miller and Peter Hitchener.

Joel catches up with the head honcho of Toyota Australia to talk new Corolla, new RAV4 and the return of Supra!

Alan Zurvas tells us all about his time in 'Godzilla', the famous Nissan GT-R, while Simon Lai gives us his review of the Renault Megane wagon.

Speaking of wagons, Joel also reviews the Skoda Superb, and brings us the lowdown on the recently arrived Volkswagen Arteon.

George Harrison, yep the former Beatle, is also along talking Formula One cars and we bring you the worrying results from a couple of driver studies out of the UK regarding kids in cars and disabled parking spots.

All that and more on this week's edition of the Behind the Wheel Podcast...

Put your life jackets on - here we go, it another big edition of the Behind the Wheel Podcast.

Pete takes you driving in 2018 Lexus RX L 450h. Will he actually get into the very back of the 7 seat SUV?

Nick Raman from Lexus joins us to chat about a raft of new models on the way from Lexus - including the first ever Lexus Yacht!

Joel has been driving the V6 version of the all-new Camry. We’ll find out if it’s any sportier than the 4-cylinder version. He’s also had a taste of the very stylish new VW Arteon.

There’s a bloke called The Brickman. He’s built a full size Toyota Camry from Lego. We’ll chat to him to find out why, and to find out how many Lego blocks he stepped on in the process and whether he’s feet have sustained any injuries.

Simon Lai has been driving an important car from Holden - their new mid-size SUV the Equinox. He’ll let us know whether it’s better than the old Captiva it replaces - which shouldn’t be hard?

Rach, is back with another cars and clips segment that involves Powderfinger and a VC Commodore, so as usual, it all happening.

Make sure you're close to a power socket for this episode of Behind the Wheel.

There's a lot of electricity involved, thankfully not as much as mining for BitCoin.

Pete will take you driving in 2018 Version of the Toyota Prado. A car that at first may be hard to wrap your head around in a city environment. Pete gives his verdict on if it makes sense.

Joel has been at the launch of the all-new Volkswagen Polo. It’s grown considerably and is now the same size as a Golf from 10 years ago. Is the new Polo better than a Mazda2 or Toyota Yaris? Joel Helmes will give us the rub.

The Greens this week started a push to have all combustion engine cars removed from sale here in Australia by 2030. Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council calls in with all the reasons he thinks it’s a great idea. Will it result in benefits for us all?

Rachel, inspired by a bloke who built a Toyota Camry out of Lego, wants to discuss her love affair with building things out of small plastic bricks - and is Pete into it too?

Simon Lai is back from overseas and is keen to talk Malaysian Drivers. How does a considerably larger population deal with congestion? Are they as angry as Aussie drivers?

Put your headphones in to block out that annoying co-worker... It's Behind the Wheel time.

Australia has had its first compulsory car recall due to the ongoing saga that is the Takata Airbag scandal. There are serious problems with these dangerous airbags.
The ACCC are overseeing the recall that will involve anywhere up to one in five cars on Australian roads.
Rod Simms, Chairman of the ACCC, joins us with details on what is wrong with the airbags, how many will be replaced, how to figure out if you're affected and what impact it might have on the Australian car market.
Then after the serious stuff, we’ll take you driving at a frenetic pace in the Nürburgring conquering Honda Civic Type-R.
Ford have been tweaking Australia’s most popular sports car - the Mustang. Damion Smy from Ford joins us with details on the what’s new for 2018.
Joel has been at all over the country again this week at car launches - we’ll catch up with him live from the launch of the all new BMW X2 - he’ll also have news on the updated Nissan Navara.
Rachel returns with a vintage spotlight this week and she’s keen to talk DeLorean.

Lots to get through on this week’s Behind the Wheel. We’ll take you driving in the highly-acclaimed Kia Stinger.

Acclaimed for good reason, it truly is an epic car. Pete and Chris go round the block in a frenetic but totally legal fashion.

We’ll also hit the road in the all new Volvo XC60, a car that has already picked up a raft of awards.

Volvo really is hitting it's straps now with some truly beautiful new cars, the XC60 takes centre stage. We’ve got David Pickett, Technical Manager of Volvo Cars on the show to break down some of the more finer detail.

HSV are in business big time. They're one of the most exciting things happening in the Australian market right now.

With an influx of imported vehicles, HSV are weaving their magic and turning out some serious vehicles worthy of the iconic HSV badge.

Joel Helmes has been flitting across the country attending car launches left and right. We’ll here about a 7 seat Lexus SUV and a special edition Mazda MX-5.

Rach makes a welcome return and wants to talk about the stupidest car modifications on the road. Wait till you hear about the jacked up Commodore she spotted in Sydney!

Buckle up, the Behind the Wheel Car Podcast is about to hit the road for another week.

It has arrived. The first ever fully-imported Holden Commodore. Joel Helmes was at the launch and brings a first drive report.

Mark Flintoff from Holden joins us to tell us what Holden expect from the car, how many they think they'll sell and how much it costs. The new Commodore has some heavy lifting to do.

A big surprise package in the Behind the Wheel garage this week out of China. The Haval H9. It’s a big seven-seat wagon that has genuine off-road ability.

We’ll take you around the block in it (all tarmac roads), and we’ll hear from Tim at Haval with details on pricing and spec.

Simon Lai is heading off on an undeserved holiday for weeks on end. So before he goes we going to make him work hard. He’ll compare the seven-seat Nissan X-Trail with the Honda CR-V.

Rachel Franco is back and she’s been wasting lots of time on YouTube. She’ll share an awesome story of how cars and music sometime come together on film.

Speaking of awesome, there’s an amazing competition being run in Brisbane this weekend. Titled “Build a self driving car in 72 hours” teams from around the globe have entered. We will get the man behind it all on to give us all the juicy details.

Here we go again for another epic one, settle in for Behind the Wheel Podcast 488...